I was not raised to be calculatedly critical of others.  If someone does me wrong, I need to chose a careful path.  I was never good at knee-jerk reactions.  Many a “jerk” came out of exactly that.  Turning the other cheek and letting things go in one ear and out the other are abilities that I have been blessed with.  Some might interpret that sort of action as being “uncaring”, a mistake in the world of getting a facebook timed reaction.

Here I am trying to make the best of a good situation.  That too is contradictory happenstance.

I am looking at the Atlantic Ocean along the North Carolina Coast.  This is my favorite place to be in the entire world.  I doubt a delicately fried piece of flounder could be as good anywhere else on the planet.  Here I am next to my dear wife, Carrie.  She is reading a cooking magazine in between glances and gazes at an ever-changing sky in front of us.  Yesterday evening we were blessed with the sight of a herd of dolphins bobbing up and down in the water in front of us.  One little fella even decided to jump out of the water to show off for us.  It is easy to care when things are going as good as that.

It is easy to care when things are going our way…when the practice of caring is not relentless…when the circumstances before us are calm and, well, just plain nice.  What we would give to have that on more days than not.

Even in the face of an ocean of peace and calm like we see in front of us this morning, there is always the possibility of troubled waters on the horizon.  There are times the skies will look grey and ominous.  Just ask Carl.

On Sunday, the Rev. Duke Lackey of Faith Harbor United Methodist Church in Surf City reminded us of the story of the Good Samaritan.  Duke’s sermon was titled “Do This”.  Do as the Good Samaritan did.  Help the helpless.  Do as Keshia Thomas did in Ann Arbor, Michigan twenty years ago when a KKK rally was happening.  The protesters turned violent toward one of the Klanpersons.  Keisha Thomas, a young black lady, came to his aid.  She threw herself over the white man and told those inflicting punishment upon him to stop, declaring… “You can’t beat goodness into a person.”  Do as our military members will do for us like no one else we know.  Do like Duke Lackey and say the right things that are led by God’s word.  Do this.

I wish I knew why two black guys were shot by police officers.  I wish I knew how a girl could sit next to a dying man and be that calm while recording video of the situation.  And I wish I knew why she would do that.  I wish I knew I was right when I looked back on news footage of 1968, the year I first saw the light of day, and was so sure and glad we had come far enough not to “do that again”.  I am afraid of what the upcoming National Political Conventions will bring.  I wish I knew why so many people hate each other for no other reason than the color of their skin.

In teaching I often use a personal example of how problems between black folks and white folks can show themselves.  I tell students that they are being affected by fear of something they don’t know anything about.  Fear and ignorance is the truest recipe of racism.  And, yes, it works both ways.  White v. Black and Black v. White.  And yes, that is a damn shame.  I end my speaks to students with this sentiment:  In my life I have been called names, kicked, pushed, made fun of, punched, shot at, and had my heart broken…all at the hands of folks that were white and not black.

I wish I didn’t see one step up and forty-eight years back.  Makes my time on this earth so far a little less meaningful.  But…I must get over that and press onward.  I need to get the negative out of my system in cathartic ways like this one.  I suppose that is one reason why I do press onward, I do look for a better day, I do try to do something about it, and I do…

Speak the Rights.

Danny Johnson